If It Makes For Good Relations
by Blood Never Lies
Summary: Tseng sends Reno out to deliver a thank you to Cloud and Vincent for helping them out during the A/C Crisis. But when Reno sparks a fight with the Ex-SOLDIER it gets both men in trouble with Tifa. Reno promises Tseng he'll fix his mess up and make it up with Cloud ... but instead finds himself in a contest for Tifa's affections! Rated T, but will go up to an M for safety later
1. Just say Thank You

**I do not own FF7 or the characters.**

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Another sheet of paper done, he pushed it away into an unoccupied part of his desk and grabbed another one. Ah a form! Easier than the written reports… he spared a glance at the date and grimaced. It was old now; almost a month overdue.  
He rolled his eyes, shook his head in exasperation and screwed the offending piece of paper up before tossing it into the waste bin.  
Reno hated paper work, he was a field man! Not some office jockey, but Tseng had been getting on his back since way back when to clean up his desk.  
It wasn't that Reno wasn't a good employee, it was simply that he had an unorthodox approach to how to deal with problems. He didn't consider himself a particularly deep minded man but if you asked him how he dealt with life he'd probably have given you an answer like this; the big things in life were unavoidable and had to be dealt with; stuff like death and taxes. The little things in life _were_ avoidable, like arguments, paperwork and unnecessary fights. Then there were the bits that happened in between these two which simply occurred as part of your routine and often took precedence over those two categories.  
So if you were smart, you took care of the little things to help the big things take care of themselves and didn't worry about it. But Reno didn't do it like that.  
Reno had been accused of being a fool before now, many times in fact, and perhaps there was a bit of truth in that. He _was_laid back, sarcastic and blew stuff off by making light of it when it was serious business. But he wasn't an idiot and he took offence at being labelled one, because though he made light of the situations his work landed him in he took his line of work quite seriously. He was proud of who he was.

He took care of the little things in life when he felt they needed addressing because he was a creature of habit who tried to stay in the _now_ and deal with more immediate concerns that rose up before dealing with stuff that could be put off till later, like paper work for example.  
The reason he was sat at his desk and doing his paperwork now, was because there were no immediate concerns to address and he wanted to pass the time until the clocking out hour came, which seemed an awful long way away at the moment given it was still morning.  
His desk was a messy place, but back logged paperwork had that effect. The only tidy part of it was the area he used to put the completed work into a neat pile for collection. There were few enough items in that particular spot but it was a work in progress.

Tseng walked past with an armful of files larger than all of Reno's assorted paperwork combined. He glanced over his burden at Reno and the Wutain's eyes widened in surprise at Reno's concentrated efforts to finish all of his paperwork given it was such a rare occasion he was found doing it. He paused to walk around Reno's work area to check his progress.

As the boss walked around his area Reno smirked to himself; well he'd caught his attention it seemed. Good, part of the reason he was doing this was to make his superior get off his back about it.  
"Having fun Reno?" Tseng asked mildly.  
"Mm, you know it yo." Reno replied sarcastically as he filed another report in its proper place.  
"And what crisis brought this on?" there was a touch of amusement in Tseng's voice.  
Reno glanced up from underneath a raised eyebrow "Just catching up on it. Boredom - it's a horrible thing."  
Tseng chuckled and walked away "Yes well, you must be very bored indeed if you have to do your paperwork to relieve it."  
Reno smirked and called back "Nah, I'm just turning into Rude! He's a bad influence!"

It seemed on cue that Rude arrived back that moment with Elena and the President.  
Tseng put the paperwork down on one of the vacant desks and went over to find out what had happened. There was a brief conversation whilst he and Rufus headed for the Presidents office along with Elena and Rude.  
Reno listened in from his desk, Rufus sounded tired but he always looked tired these days. Elena seemed her usual self from how she was talking and Rude didn't say anything at all. No surprise there. So nothing major had happened. Pity, he could have done with a good field assignment to get out of finishing all of this.  
The two minor members of the Turks detached themselves from Tseng and Rufus' conversation and they headed back to their own work areas as the Director gathered up his files and followed Rufus into his office.  
Reno perked up as he saw Rude pass the coffee machine and he whistled to get the bald man's attention.  
"Yo Rude! Grab me one would ya?"  
The bald man paused and got Reno some of his desired coffee along with some for himself. Heading over to the red haired man's desk he actually spoke rather than his usual grunts or silent nods.  
"You know, it's pretty rude to get someone's attention by whistling at them Reno." The tall Turk gently reproofed the working man.  
"And it's also considered rude to not answer someone when they're talking ter ya, but that don't usually stop you doing it does it?" Reno quipped as he accepted the coffee gratefully and took a sip.  
"…" Rude thought about that for a moment as he took a sup from his own mug.  
Reno waited for the other man to say something with a smirk playing at his lips as the silence dragged for a few seconds.  
Rude finally snorted out a grunt of amusement "Good point." he replied before he took his own coffee back to his own desk which was considerably less cluttered than Reno's.

The hours passed, clock out time still seemed too far off and Reno had finished all his work. Now he was bored out of his rather imaginative mind because he had nothing to do and he didn't feel like annoying the others who were tired after escorting Rufus. He needed something to do, he needed to get out of here for a few hours!  
He got up and walked over to the President's office to get a hold of Tseng.  
Rapping on the door he waited for the summons inside and when he heard the soft voice of Tseng call for him to enter he did so.

Rufus was sat behind his desk and Tseng was loyally assisting his boss, whilst Rufus was typing away into a laptop and studying papers the Director was acting as a kind of PA and fetching Rufus what he needed and taking away that which he was finished with – which must be a lot given how weary Tseng looked after only a few hours of doing it.  
Reno had always believe being a PA to someone sounded pretty easy, but what he saw on the President's desk gave him cause to doubt his assumption and made him feel sorry for Tseng.  
Rufus seemed to be working non-stop now and it began to make sense to the red haired Turk why the President always looked tired – he must be burning the candle at both ends with this heavy workload.

Though there were two men working hard in here the President's desk was littered almost as badly as Reno's had been this morning, but instead of the small piles of chaos that had been on the formers workplace Rufus was simply burdened by dozens of neatly stacked files and tall stacks of reports that he had either been reading or had yet to read.  
Reno paused in the doorway and blinked away the shock he felt at seeing the staggering workload the two men had to deal with. Tseng had reprimanded him for having such a cluttered workplace but compared to this desk's burden Reno's stack of back logged reports was nothing!  
But then again Rufus was the boss of all of them… and he no longer had an army of office workers to take care of all the administration his slowly rebuilding company had to go through.

"Yo boss, you got a minute?" He called chirpily as he pulled himself together.  
Tseng for once seemed relieved to see Reno and he excused himself to Rufus. Beyond a dismissive wave the President gave no other sign he was paying any attention to what the other man had said.  
As the two Turks left the room Tseng closed the door.  
As it shut Reno gave a low whistle "Is it like that all the time?"  
"What?" Tseng asked him.  
"You know, like that…!" Reno pantomimed Rufus typing away and putting imaginary files onto a pile gradually getting taller than he was.  
Tseng nodded and motioned for Reno to follow him, as the Director fixed himself a coffee Reno had to say something to lighten his shock. "Man, and I thought I had a high stress job being occasionally shot at! How have you not died from that kind of work load yet Tseng?"  
His boss quirked an eyebrow at Reno "Be glad I haven't Reno. If I drop, you have to take my slack." he reminded him.  
Reno smiled and patted his bosses arm affectionately "Have I mentioned I've always admired your stamina and ability to cope with impossible odds…?"  
"Very funny Reno" Tseng interrupted "But you called me out here for a reason and whilst I'm gone that work load is getting bigger, so can I help you?"  
Reno felt a bit childish saying it now but he supposed he had to "I'm… kinda bored Director. I don't suppose you could give me an assignment or something, could ya? I've finished all my paperwork." He winced at how childish it sounded; he reminded himself of a child who wants pudding because he'd cleaned his place at dinner time.  
Tseng blinked and let out a slow grunt of annoyance "You called me out here for _that_?" he groaned wearily "Reno if I had something I'd have given it to you."  
"Hey, be grateful for small mercies, yo! I'm saving your health here!"  
Tseng sighed and took a sip from his coffee. Reno watched him patiently and after a minute of thought the other man spoke.  
"Well…" Tseng mused thoughtfully.  
"Well?" Reno grinned.  
"There's nothing officially that I can give you Reno, but there might be something you can do as a favour for me. It's something I haven't been able to do myself given the work load. You could run a message for me if you wanted?"  
Reno nodded carefully, it wasn't what he'd had in mind but it was still better than being sat around doing nothing.  
"What's the message?" he asked.  
"Just a basic thank you."

Upon seeing the confusion on Reno's face Tseng took a moment to explain his reasons "What happened at the northern cave with the Silver haired men… Elena and I still owe a thank you to Vincent Valentine for his assistance and I know that the President is grateful to him for that too, but we haven't been able to locate him since the Geostigma epidemic passed. I think he also wants to thank Cloud for his help against Kadaj and his gang, but we haven't said thank you for that yet either."

Reno shrugged "I understand the first but it seems like a waste of time thanking Strife. Cloud didn't do squat for us, he did all of it for those kids he's living with."  
"True he did nothing for _us_, but the President was saved by his actions. I think we owe him a thank you for doing what he did."  
Reno made a noise to imply he didn't really agree but Tseng ignored it, Reno's dislike of Cloud went back years and it hadn't gone away just because time had passed. The pair of them would never be friends and would never back down if they provoked each other, but at least these days it took one of them offending the other to spark a fight as opposed to simply the sight of each other.  
"Given our past, it seems inappropriate to offer mere words that they would ignore…perhaps we can offer something else as a token of our gratitude."

Reno actually laughed at the notion but he saw that his boss was serious he paused.  
"Wait, wait, hold on! _We_ - the Shinra Corporation – are going to reward the people who brought our Corporation down, for simply doing one favour that they wouldn't have intentionally done unless they their own reasons for it? Boss that sounds a bit messed up!"  
Tseng looked at him "No it isn't."  
"Yes it is!"  
"Reno!" Tseng cut in sharply "This message has nothing to do with Shinra or our past; its just a courtesy. Now you told me you were bored and I've given you an option, if you don't want to do it then I will because I don't mind thanking someone for doing me a favour even if I don't like the person who did it. Now the only reason I haven't done it yet is because of that high work load in there. Now if you prefer it, I can deliver my own message and you can take my place whilst I deliver it."

Reno stopped and his eyes widened in horror "No, no!" he quickly back pedalled "Deliver a message – I can do that. It's just a quick 'thank you, is there anything we can do for you', right?"  
Tseng calmed down and nodded "Exactly."  
Reno grinned "Okay, consider it done boss!"

After Rude dropped him off on the outskirts of Edge Reno made his way to the place he was most likely to find Cloud, the bar known as 'Seventh Heaven'.  
Reno didn't mind Edge as much as he'd used to. It used to bother him that people were moving on from Midgar and the glory days of Shinra, but times changed. He'd come to accept this and over time he'd come to even appreciate how unlike Midgar it had been.  
For one there were no more plates and pillars.  
If Reno had once made a decision that had haunted him, it had been to activate the bomb that had killed not only one, but _two_ entire populaces. The villages beneath and on top of the Sector 7 plate he'd dropped had been much fewer than that of other plates, but in total he'd still taken the lives of hundreds of innocent civilians in that day in order to kill off a small group of people that had then survived his attempt.  
And sometimes the reminder of that fact made him sick, it was one of the reasons he hated to see Cloud so much because that Ex- SOLDIERhad been one of the primary targets he'd been assigned to kill even at the horrific cost in human life and yet it still hadn't been enough.  
It hadn't been enough to kill Cloud… but it had nearly killed him.

Reno tried not to dwell on it as he walked towards his destination, for the memory was painful but it was not for the reason that it should have been. He often wondered that if he hadn't been hurt so badly during the incident if he could have ended it himself, tracked them all down and tried again with Tseng and Rude whilst they were reeling from shock and SHINRA still had that the last Ancient as a hostage…  
The memory hurt him because he felt more sorry for himself for not being able to finish his job and almost losing his life as a result than for killing all those people in trying to do it.  
People should feel sorrier for doing those kinds of things than he did… but he wasn't made of the same stuff as other people apparently. Something was missing in him where that was concerned.  
He grimaced at the sight of 'Seventh Heaven' and took a deep breath before he entered it, _regretting the loss of human life huh?_ he thought to himself _Cloud doesn't even know how lucky he is to be able to do it._

Inside Seventh Heaven the place was unusually empty, Reno didn't frequent it much given the company he often found in there but he had to admit Tifa's place didn't usually lack for custom.  
He supposed there were two good reasons for that – one, she had reasonably price beer and two, she poured a great pint.  
Oh, and she also had one of the finest racks Reno had ever laid eyes on which could do her business no harm either.  
But as he walked through the place was quiet, the door shut behind him and he heard footsteps heading down from the apartment above the bar.  
"I'm sorry we're…" Tifa started to say, but as she laid eyes on whom her customer was she paused "…closed…" she finished softly.  
"Why, it's barely gone mid day?" Reno asked her.  
The dark haired owner raised her hands to the empty space "You see any customers here Reno?" she asked him.  
The red head shook his head "Nope."  
"That's why." Tifa replied.  
"Okay, then why does the sign say 'open as usual' on the front door?" Reno winked as he flashed her a grin.  
Tifa sighed "I was about to change that around."  
"Before you do, I'll have a drink then!" Reno grinned.  
"Reno I'm serious, we're closed." she told him.  
"And I'm here on business, I 'ain't leavin' until I've done what I came here to do."

"And what have you come here to do?" Tifa asked him.  
"I'll tell ya, but it'll cost you a drink."  
Tifa sighed again and hurried around the bar to turn the sign on the door around before she returned to pour him a pint. Reno watched her the whole way and a smirk crept onto his face; he loved it when he got his own way.

"Well?" Tifa asked him as she pushed the drink over to him.  
Reno fished his wallet out and handed over a note.  
"There's no need Reno. I told you – we're closed."  
"And I wanna pay." Reno insisted as he made her take the note "I need this drink more than you know and you don't need people to start thinking booze around here is on the house if you arrive at the right time." he took a sup of the beer as she put his money in her cash register  
"Ah! Much better!" he sighed.  
"Why do you need a drink so badly Reno?" Tifa asked him with a patient smile at his drama.  
"Well because I need to speak to blondie when he gets back and deliver a thank you to him from Tseng."  
She blinked in confusion "What for?"  
"For helpin' us during that crisis a while back." He delivered that line with as much sarcasm as he could muster.  
"Oh."

Reno felt the need to change the topic, talking about Cloud left a bad taste in his mouth. "So, slow business today?"  
Tifa wouldn't look at him "Yeah."  
Reno had a knack for telling when people were hiding something, being in a job where you tortured people for answers taught you how to do that.  
"Been bad recently, huh?" he pressed.  
Tifa looked at him with an unwavering gaze "You going to drink that?" she asked him softly.  
Reno took the hint and dropped the subject as he took another sup of the pint.  
"And how are the kids?" he asked her after a minutes silence.  
Tifa smiled "They're fine. They've been a handful lately."  
"Mm. Blondie should really do his bit there, ain't the man of the house supposed to help with the raisin' of the kids?" Reno asked.  
"Actually we-" Tifa started but then the sound of a motorbike pulling up made her fall quiet.

The door opened and Cloud Strife walked in with Denzel and Marlene.  
"Perfect timing!" Reno drawled and raised his half full glass in a mock friendly toast.  
Cloud's eyes narrowed as he raised his sunglasses from his eyes "Reno. What are you doing here?" the Ex-SOLDIER asked.  
"Can't a guy come by and see his buddies?" Reno teased from the bar stool.  
"We aren't your buddies." Cloud growled.  
"Cloud, stop it!" Tifa scolded him "He's come here to deliver a message, just let him say what he wants and don't start an argument."  
Denzel and Marlene, who had been stood quietly watching the two men from in between them, hurried over to Tifa.  
"Tifa, we went to the market! We saw all kinds of great stuff!" Denzel said excitedly.  
"Yeah, we brought you some things too!" Marlene chipped in.  
TIfa smiled affectionately at them "That's great. Why don't you both show me through here? Cloud and Reno need to talk right now." She escorted them through to the apartment and gave the two men a quick glance which said plainly as any warning not to cause any mischief.

Reno downed the remainder of his drink and rose. "Well, long time no see."  
"Mm." came the response.  
"Thought I might get lucky and not have to see you for another year at least." Reno jabbed.  
"Is that right?"  
"Yeah." Reno waited for a minute to see if there was any kind of reaction to his barbed comments, but the blonde haired man simply stood and stared at him in mute disapproval.  
The red haired Turk shook his head "Man and I thought getting Rude to join in a conversation was hard! You two should get together sometime."  
"At least he'd have some peace and quiet." Cloud replied "All you do is talk."  
"Shut it yo!" Reno snapped angrily.  
"Behave in there!" Tifa's warned them from the doorway on the other side of the bar.

"What do you want?" Cloud asked.  
"Well, I'm here to deliver a message, but don't get your hopes up Strife, I think it's a waste of my time giving it."  
"Did Rufus send you?" the Ex-SOLDIER asked suspiciously.  
"Nope. Tseng did. It concerns you and Vincent Valentine. I was hoping you'd pass it on to save me the trouble of lookin' for his mysterious, broody ass."  
"I'll think about it. What's the message?" Cloud asked him.  
"Thank you." Reno bit out sarcastically.  
"I'm sorry?"  
The red head looked as though he fighting an urge to retch but he took a deep breath before he elaborated "My boss says to say thank you for helping us during that crisis with Kadaj and his gang, though I ain't sure why we're thanking you since you sure didn't do it to help _us_. He also thanks Vincent for saving him and Laney but you get the idea Strife, it's a basic thank you."  
Cloud didn't look impressed "I see. Anything else?"  
"Nah, he just wants to know if there's anything you'd like as a…" Reno paused to take another breath there "a _token_of Shinra's appreciation for what you did?"

"I'd like you to leave" Cloud replied instantly "And not bother me again."  
"I'd like nothing more believe me." Reno growled and headed for the door "I can't stand the sight of your sorry ass anyway – lookin' at you is makin' me sober."  
Cloud held the door open "You stay away from here Reno. You hear me?" he warned.  
Reno didn't like that, it sounded like an order. He turned with a smirk "and what if I chose not to?" he drawled "What if I came here every night from now on just to wind you up?"  
"I'd kick you out myself." Cloud replied.  
Reno sneered at that "You? You ain't got the balls to fight me. Last time we fought you locked me out of the building so you didn't have to fight me."  
"I didn't do it for that. I just didn't want to waste my time beating you again."  
"Yeah?" Reno snarled "You wanna say that again tough guy?"  
"Tifa said no fighting." Cloud warned.  
"Tifa ain't _my_ girlfriend." Reno spat "And she ain't my Ma neither! Besides I'm not fighting – this time I'm_ winning!_" and with that Reno drew out his EMR and slammed it into Cloud's stomach.  
The mercenary doubled over with a gasp, it was enough time for Reno to set the charge on full and slam it on top of Cloud's unarmoured right shoulder which he also knew was Cloud's more reliable arm when it came to sword fighting.  
Cloud gave a cry of pain and the muscles in his arm twitched madly.  
A second later Tifa came running through "Cloud! What on earth-!"  
Reno turned at the interruption and Cloud used it to full effect. He grabbed hold of the Turk and flung him into one of the tables with their upturned chairs already on it.  
Unable to stop himself and with one hand gripping his EMR Reno could only cry out and brace himself for what he knew was going to be sore… and it was.  
Turk, table and chairs went flying and all landed in piles and pieces, two of the chairs were broken from the impact and table was overturned. Reno pushed the broken chairs off himself with a groan and shook his head to clear the fuzziness.  
"Ahhh…" he hissed "That _really_ hurt! That table's metal dammit!"  
He turned to see Cloud glaring at him, he was about to say something more but another noise caught his attention. A kind of snatched breath, like someone was trying to contain their anger and failing…  
He turned just as Tifa Lockheart exploded and unleashed all her anger out on the two of them.  
"RENO! CLOUD!" she screamed angrily "GET OUT OF MY BAR - YOUR HEAR ME! BOTH OF YOU, GET OUT!" she pointed at the door, her eyes blazing with supressed fury at them.  
Both Reno and Cloud had seen this woman fight – she had a punch that professional boxers would have traded anything for, and when the girl was pissed off you did not argue with her!

Reno was first up and heading for the door, Cloud tried to say something but it only made him a target for her ire. As Reno shut the door quickly behind him he heard the sounds of commotion from behind it. Tifa wasn't the type to throw crockery or punches lightly, but from the sounds of things she might be angry enough to consider it right now. Reno was glad to be out of there.  
He was so glad that he didn't even mind the fact he would have to make his way back to Healin' on foot now – anything was better than going back within sight of the Seventh Heaven's owner at this point.  
It occurred to him that he didn't have to walk though – he'd been paid recently and he had his wallet on him, he could hire a cab to take him back to the Lodge.  
But his face and good humour fell as when he patted his pockets he suddenly realised that he'd left his wallet back at the bar…

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**Okay. First chapter up, this is my first Reno and Tifa fic so any comments would be really appreciated on what you think of it so far, I'm not at all used to writing for Cloud & Co. so comments about if he and Tifa are in character would be really helpful and appreciated by me.  
Other than that, I'm planning to put up the next chapter soon.**


	2. Its All About Perspective

**I do not own FF7 or the characters.**

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When Reno approached the bar he had to admit that it was quieter at least than when he'd left it a few minutes ago… perhaps Tifa and Cloud had made up? Possible…  
But he wasn't sure though, he'd seen how pissed off she'd been. No, if it was quiet then they'd probably taken it elsewhere for the sake of those kids they looked after, after all it wasn't good to hear the grown ups arguing when you were young. It did bad things for the household.  
Reno sucked in air through his teeth and breathed out slowly, if he was quick then he'd be in and out before anyone noticed him, he was good at it after all. So gingerly put his hand on the door and pushed it softly.  
It defied him and he frowned at it and again… then tried harder… it was locked from the inside.  
Dammit.  
He could pick it, but it was broad daylight and besides – what would he say if someone saw and called the security?  
Hmm…'Oh sorry officer - my bad! But you see, my wallets in there and I only realised I left it when I was asked to leave so I'm just going to pop back in there, get my stuff and I might even say sorry to the owner for trashing up her bar?'  
Yeah, that made him sound like the innocent party didn't it?

He groaned and walked around the side and looked for any windows on the ground level... nope. But Fenrir was absent he noted with interest, but as he thought about why that might be he tutted in disapproval – Cloud, running off on your motorbike instead of biting the bullet and talking it out? Shame on you!  
It occurred to the red head that he could be accused of doing the same but he shamelessly shrugged that fact away and reminded himself that he didn't live here and he wasn't dating the owner. Besides, she'd told him to 'get out' and he'd only been complying!  
She was probably more likely to hit him anyway, so he had the right to run!

He groaned and looked up… then he had a brain wave. At the higher level of the apartment there were windows, he looked around for anyone who might be watching. The street was deserted and he took the opportunity to try getting in a different way.  
Jumping up and scrambling up the side of the building he made his way quickly up to the ledge with a grin creeping on his face… god but he loved being a Turk! This was what he did best, this was what he was trained to do – sneak in no matter what, get what he needed and get out without anyone being the wiser! He was so glad he had the opportunity to practice his skills; it had been too long since he'd had to sneak into an occupied building!  
He almost had a heart attack when he was met by two large brown eyes beneath a dark fringe, but he gave Marlene a shock too – the girl gasped and jumped away from the window as she and the red head found themselves separated only by a pane of glass.

Cloud stopped Fenrir on the outskirts of Edge at Aeris' church and got off his beefed up black motorcycle.  
He lived with Tifa and the kids now, and his bedroom in their apartment now saw more frequent use than it had over the last few years but he occasionally came out in the church when he was doing his last service for Aeris. He'd been taking the opportunity to fix the damages that her building had sustained over the last few years but it was slow going getting the materials he needed mostly because he was doing it all himself around his delivery work which was a pretty full time job when you were feeding a family of four.

He walked through the old building and sat on the edge of the flower beds which bloomed here still, his thoughts drifted back to the conversation he and Tifa had shared after Reno had vacated the building.

_"Tifa…" he'd started, but the dark haired woman was hearing none of it._  
_"I can't leave you two alone can I? Every time you two meet something always happens! Why can't you two get along – honestly I swear Marlene and Denzel aren't the biggest kids in this household, its you and Reno whenever you and him see each other!"_  
_Cloud stayed quiet… if he waited then she could calm down. He'd known her for years and her temper was hot but it was only a flash in the pan when it came and it ended quickly._  
_"Cloud, what was all that about?" Tifa asked him with her hands on her hips when she'd taken a moment to calm herself down._  
_"It doesn't matter. He just got under my skin Tifa. I'm sorry about the mess I made." He apologised._

_Tifa's eyebrows rose sceptically as she picked the chairs and table up off the floor and set them back in their place. She eyed the broken ones wearily before she turned to face him._  
_"He said he only came here to deliver a message Cloud, and I left you both alone for only a few minutes. What did he say to you that upset you that badly that you two had a fight over it?"_  
_Cloud shrugged "He was just being the way he usually is." He replied._  
_Tifa half smiled at that answer, it was true that Reno knew how to be a royal asshole without needed to try hard. "I know what you mean, but you didn't react like I'd expect you to if it were just Reno being Reno. Come on, tell me the rest of it Cloud."_

_"…" Cloud looked around and felt awkward under her patient gaze._  
_Finally he admitted "I asked him not to come here again, and he said he wouldn't do that. Then he tried to goad me into a fight and I didn't react. So he attacked me."_  
_Tifa blinked at that "Okay…" she said softly "You had a fight because he goaded you… is that why you don't want him coming around here Cloud? He doesn't cause trouble most the time and it's not like he comes often anyway. You know he actually behaved himself pretty well before you came in." She criticised her childhood friend gently but she felt she owed Reno some credit since he wasn't around to defend his actions here._

_The blonde haired man wasn't sure why he'd wanted it that way himself, there were lots of good reasons to not want Reno around; their past, his association with Rufus Shinra, his attitude to others and himself._  
_But those hadn't been any of the reasons for him warning the red head off coming back… he really didn't want Reno around here and he didn't know why. But it had something to do with the people he lived with. This was his space and these were his friends, they all mattered to him and somehow he'd suddenly felt threatened by Reno's presence here disrupting his slowly rebuilding happiness._

_But Tifa was still looking at him so he answered as honestly as he could "I just don't care for his attitude Tifa. He still behaves like Shinra is still in charge and I don't like that. I just worry about you and Marlene and Denzel. Reno can't drop the past and I'm worried he might try something because of what you and I did to him before."_  
_Tifa sighed "I think he's over that by now, Cloud. But you don't exactly help the situation either by holding a grudge. I suppose if you feel that way I can't change your mind, you're still the same old Cloud and he's the same old Reno."_  
_She paced for a few seconds before she turned to look back into his eyes "So what am I to do with you pair, separate you or make you shake hands and get along?"_  
_Cloud grimaced as though she'd said something he found distasteful._  
_She laughed at his face "Oh Cloud…" she gave him a soft sympathetic smile "You and Reno are a real pair, you know that? You're as bad as each other sometimes!"_

_Cloud didn't like that comment… if only because he found he couldn't say it wasn't a complete lie. He suddenly wanted to ride his bike and patted his pockets to check he had his keys, which he did._  
_"Tifa… I've left something back at the church, will you all be okay alone for a little while?"_  
_She was puzzled at that "Cloud, is everything okay?" she asked him in a concerned way._  
_He smiled at her reassuringly "Yes. I won't be long, I promise."_

Cloud looked at the flowers and wished he knew himself why he and Reno were the way they were sometimes.  
Maybe it was because they were two totally different people, or maybe Tifa was right and they did have too much in common.  
He frowned as he tried to imagine Reno behaving the way he did, making the effort to get along with Tifa and other people and behaving like a person and not a Turk.  
Somehow he just couldn't see Reno acting any other way than he always had. He was selfish, he was stubborn and he cared only for what he wanted or what served Shinra's interests.  
He nodded to himself. Tifa was probably right about the two of them. There was no need to warn Reno off because there was nothing really to worry about. It was unlikely they'd see him anytime soon anyhow.  
Feeling better he got on his motorcycle and headed back for Seventh Heaven.

Reno stared in shock at the kid on the other side of the window. He raised a finger up to his lips in a shushing manner to calm her down.  
The girl went to call for someone and Reno shook his head desperately and mouthed _No! No! No! No! _  
Please don't call Tifa, he thought, I don't need another telling off considering I have to go back to tell Tseng I pissed off the guy I was meant to be thanking for him…!_  
_  
The girl's eyes narrowed suspiciously and she went over to the window and opened it just a crack.  
"What are you doing outside my window?" she asked him.  
Reno breathed a sigh of relief "Kid, my wallets in Tifa's bar and she's locked the door – run down and get it for me would ya? I'll be at the front door."  
Marlene frowned and closed the window before she went out of the room and headed down the stairs.  
Reno breathed a sigh of relief and slid down the wall to the ground level. He waited outside the front door and it was only for a few moments before the small frame of Marlene appeared before him holding out his wallet in the doorway.

"I checked your cards to see if it was yours. I saw your picture next to the Shinra logo… you work for Shinra don't you?" the girl asked him.  
Reno saw no need to lie to the kid "Yeah." He told her.  
"Daddy's told me about people like you." She informed him softly. There was a hint of worry in her eyes but there was also something to her voice, a kind note that said she was only saying what the other grown ups had told her so it must be true…

Reno was about to say something sarcastic about that, but his curiosity stopped him "Oh really? What did he say about me then kiddo?"  
"He said you were bad men." Marlene replied in a matter of fact voice.  
Reno's face cracked at the simplicity of that statement. He actually laughed at it, this kid was the adopted daughter of someone who had blown up Mako Reactors, killing dozens of soldiers in the process and bringing untold misery and fear to those denizens who'd lived happily under SHINRA's rule… and yet here he was being classed as the 'bad man' for doing equally despicable things to the opposite side for reasons as justifiable as her father had?

Honestly, there was no justice sometimes…  
This kid had no idea what she was talking about, but it was complicated to explain to someone who was barely ten, and more to the point it was in the past.

"Why are you laughing?" the dark haired girl asked him curiously.  
"Nothing kid." Reno replied "Its… a private joke. You wouldn't understand."  
"Well, here's your wallet." The girl held out the small item for him and he took it gratefully.  
Reno liked the girl despite what she'd just said… she was kind of like Tifa in a way, strong willed but also caring. Living here was probably having a good influence on her.  
"Thanks kid. Oh, by the way…"  
"Marlene." the girl interrupted "My name is Marlene."  
Reno paused and cleared his throat as he lowered himself down to her level "Okay, _Marlene_. Um, I don't know how to say this to a kid but is something wrong with Tifa? She seemed kind of mad back there?"

The girl blinked in confusion.  
Reno sighed "Is her business in trouble?"  
Marlene avoided his gaze "I shouldn't really talk about that with a stranger." She replied apologetically.  
Reno sighed and thought quickly "Good advice kid. Okay then just tell me this, does she see a lot of people coming in here lately?"  
Marlene frowned at that "No…" she replied thoughtfully "But Tifa says not to worry. It's a dead period, she say's it'll pick up again."  
"Huh, is that right?" Reno mumbled as his brain began to work overtime "Okay kid, well I need you to do me one last favour. I broke something in there and Tifa wouldn't accept any payment from me if I tried to give it to her, so will ya put this beside her cash register for me? It's not charity I promise." he fished out a few notes and handed them over to the girl.  
He wouldn't have it said that he didn't pay his debts. No way.  
"Okay Reno." Marlene said.  
"How the hell'd ya know my name?" Reno asked her in surprise.  
"Tifa said it back there, silly. And I looked in your wallet just now. Don't worry Reno, I won't tell her."  
It was then that both of them heard a familiar voice call "Marlene? Who's at the door?"

Reno looked up and decided he'd bite the bullet even if Cloud wouldn't. He looked down at Marlene and shrugged "Suppose I should tell her I'm sorry about the mess?" he asked the girl.  
The small child smiled sweetly "I think she'd like that."  
"Marlene?" the attractive figure of Tifa came out into the bar area to find her missing adoptee talking to Reno at the door.  
"Oh!" she said softly "Reno, back again so soon! Can I help you?" she asked him.  
Reno looked sheepish and asked "Can I come inside yet or is it still closed?"  
Tifa sighed and smiled tiredly at him "You can come in Reno." She told him.  
The man let Marlene go inside first and shut the door behind him. He headed over to her bar and offered the waitress his most nonchalant shrug "I wanted to get my wallet back. Had to ask the ki- I mean I had to ask _Marlene_ there to get it for me." He corrected himself hastily with a grateful nod to the small girl.  
Tifa nodded amiably and began to polish a few of the hanging pint glasses so she had something to do "I understand Reno, and now you've got your wallet is there something else you needed?"

Reno looked at her eyes and found an unexpected heat developing in the pit of his belly. Those eyes really were quite something to look at… so big and dark and…  
He mentally slapped himself replied "Well… I wanted to say sorry."  
That caught her attention. She stopped and she looked directly up into his eyes.  
"Sorry?" she echoed.  
That feeling was getting worse now… he hoped he hadn't drunk that pint too quickly or something…  
"Who are you apologising to Reno, me or Cloud?" Tifa asked him softly.  
Reno's mouth had gone dry now… _oh no._ he realised _Oh no, no no! I'm attracted to her! This is bad, this is VERY bad!_  
"You… I wanted to say sorry to you." he managed to say it quite easily despite his internal panic at his changing feelings towards this woman. She looked sad at that comment so Reno decided to do the decent thing "and… I guess I should say sorry to Cloud too for my part."  
And with that Tifa suddenly changed. She seemed positively aglow "Really?" she asked him eagerly.  
He nodded a quick affirmative.  
"Thank you Reno! That'll g down well if you really mean it." she said gratefully with a genuine smile.  
Reno felt sick. "Yeah… who'd have thought I could be the bigger man, huh?"  
Tifa suddenly remembered something and she shook her head with a frustrated sigh "But… oh! I forgot, Cloud's gone out for a while Reno."

Reno felt better for that, now he had an excuse to come back later and maybe she might be free… _no!_ No - he mustn't think like that, this was an excuse to _leave _and forget these strange feelings!  
But before he could stop himself he suddenly found his mouth opening and blurting out "You know, you really need a break from work Tifa."  
His hostess looked puzzled "Um… well… maybe you're right, but what makes you say that?"  
Reno leaned on the bar and smirked "Well for one thing you and Cloud don't get all that much alone time I'm sure?"  
Tifa blushed and mumbled something that Reno didn't quite hear. But he was pleased to note that she wasn't disagreeing with him.  
"Beg pardon?" he pressed.  
"You've got it all wrong Reno." she said softly "Me and Cloud… we aren't like that. We're just friends, he told me that himself."

Reno looked into her face and his heart clenched _But ya want it be more than that, don't ya?_ He thought sadly _You've wanted that for a long time…  
_Reno suddenly slid a hand over hers softly and the woman looked at him. Her eyes were large and he could see the wrestling emotions behind them.  
"If ya need a hand, Tifa." He said with a half smile "Ya know I'm free a lot of the time these days."  
she smiled "Thanks for the offer Reno, but I don't need a hand here. I'm not very busy lately so…"  
"Good!" Reno cut in playfully "So then, does that mean you're free tonight?"  
"Well, maybe I might be later on." she admitted.  
Reno grinned at her "Great, so if I meet you around seven you could have a night off?"  
"What? No, Reno I never said-!"  
"Aww c'mon Teef." he implored "Don't ya ever take time off?"  
"But Reno, there's no one to cover the bar!"  
"Cloud can do it!" Reno protested.

Tifa laughed at that "No Reno, that wouldn't be fair. Besides, he'd have to look after Marlene and Denzel too and he's working all the time."  
"So are you!" Reno protested, but he understood what she meant. He frowned and thought about it for a moment "Okay… well what if you could find someone else who'd cover the bar for the night?"  
Tifa looked up at the ceiling and thought about it, part of her relished the thought of a night off and some company besides the usual faces but the other part of her warned that this was _Reno_pressing her for a night off here...

"Well… well, let me think about it okay? Call me later and I'll tell you then." She promised.  
"Okay, it's a date!" he grinned and with that he sauntered off.  
Tifa didn't quite know what to say. She watched him go and it was only then she saw Marlene looking puzzled at her and at the door Reno had just left by.  
"Tifa? Does this mean you're going out with Reno tonight?" Barrets adopted daughter asked her.  
The dark haired woman shook her head and frowned "I…I don't know sweetie."  
Marlene looked confused "Will Cloud be mad that you're going to spend time with Reno?"  
Tifa sighed and looked down "I don't know. He'll probably ask me why I want to though…" she admitted.  
"Will you tell him why?" Marlene asked her curiously.  
Tifa wondered if Barrets daughter knew more than she let on at times, but she smiled and patted her head affectionately as she told her things were complicated between her and Cloud.  
She wondered if that was the reason she felt so tempted to take Reno up on his enticing offer...

Tseng looked at Reno expectantly as the red head positively bounced his way into the office.  
"Reno… are you drunk?" The Director asked suspiciously.  
"Huh, me? No boss man, no!" Reno grinned. He then winked "Well actually I _may_ have had _one_…"  
Tseng sighed "I thought so."  
"Hey!" the second in command protested "I'll have you know I was _very _responsible! I said I only had one and I mean it!"  
"Reno, responsible would have been a drink of water instead of beer." Tseng countered tiredly.  
Reno shrugged "Ah well. Too late now."  
There was a pause as both men looked at each other. Tseng was the first to break the silence "Well, how did it go?"  
Reno's face fell slightly "Well… it depends on how you look at it boss." He admitted.  
Tseng didn't like where this was going…

"Okay, and in _your_ opinion?" he asked the other Turk.  
Reno smiled nervously "As well as you'd expect from me."  
Tsengs eyes widened in horror "What did you do _this _time!" he demanded.  
"Hey come on! All I did was hit the guy a couple times!" Reno snapped defensively. It was then he realised what he'd said and he hastily corrected himself "It was self defence boss!"  
The Director groaned "Oh, I knew I should have sent Elena!" he bemoaned himself as he covered his eyes in exasperation "_How_on earth did you manage to turn a thank you into a fist fight Reno?"

"Aw don't be down boss man. It's not all doom and gloom!" he said in a lighter tone.  
The Director looked at him expectantly but from his gaze it was clear he didn't expect much from Reno given the news he'd so far delivered about his mission…  
"I _am_going to apologise to him. I did try to earlier, but he was out and I did pass on your message before we traded a couple blows. Look, I'll smooth things over with chocobo head when I next see him, okay? That should be sometime soon… it may be tonight."

Tseng's eyes narrowed "_May be tonight?_" he echoed "what does that mean?"  
"It means I'm going to be in the vicinity of his home and if I see him I'll be the bigger man and do you proud Boss." Reno replied smoothly.  
"You mean you're going to the Seventh Heaven to get drunk." Tseng corrected his junior ranking Turk.  
"No. It means I'm spending some time with the people who know Cloud and I'm going to see if you can make good on that promise of doing them a little extra to show our appreciation for what they did for us." Reno corrected him.  
It was then that the Wutain man seemed to relax "That's… very ingenious of you Reno." He complimented.  
"Why, _thank_ you." Reno answered a little sarcastically "Would it kill you to admit I might know what I'm doing at times?"  
"I will admit it when I see evidence you aren't making it up as you go along." Tseng replied as a half smile passed his lips "But if you do this well, I will reward you for it. We won't mention this to Rufus in the mean while."  
Reno breathed a sigh of relief "Thanks boss. Hey, is Rude free tonight?"  
Tseng frowned "What he does in his own time isn't my business."  
"So that means he doesn't have an assignment?" Reno pressed.  
"No… why?" Tseng asked.  
"Well I might need a favour from him tonight. Anyway, gotta run boss!" Reno answered evasively as he excused himself from the room.

Reno found the bald headed Turk sitting at his desk. The red haired man pushed a coffee in front of his friend and tried to look as innocent as possible as he thought about how to ask the delicate question of the big man.  
Rude smiled at the offering "Thanks Reno. How did you know I wanted one?" he asked in a mildly surprised tone.  
"Ah, you know me."  
Rude grunted "That I do." and took a sip off the steaming contents of his mug, smacking his lips together the bald mans' eyebrows knotted over his sunglasses in suddenly suspicion.  
He put the mug down and faced Reno.  
"Cinnamon and a special blend," Rude stated softly "neither of which is easy to come by but I know you possess at your place, and we didn't have these in the office this morning which means you stopped back at your place to get them..."

Reno smirked. Rude was only talkative when he felt the need to vent frustration or give comfort. Rude was verbally deducing Reno's action because he already knew why Reno had done this and he was talking out loud to see if Reno might give anything away before he had to ask why he'd done it for himself.  
The big guy took another sip of the rather excellent coffee and made a thoughtful grunt "Okay… I give up. We got paid recently, you don't need to stay at my place and you don't have any paperwork… so why did you go back to your house to get a hold of my favourite coffee and seasoning?"

Reno smiled playfully "Can't a guy be nice once in a while?"  
Rude raised an eyebrow "Yes, but for you 'being nice' is letting me work. This I can only deduce is a bribe because you're going to ask me something I won't want to help you with."  
The red head placed hand on his chest in mock hurt "I'm wounded, yo!" he stated.  
"What do you want Reno?" Rude asked plainly.  
"Okay, you got me! I need a favour with a… a mission."  
"A mission?" Rude asked curiously "I didn't hear about a mission."  
Reno needed to be careful here "Well, more a personal favour for Tseng, but it's the same difference!"

Rude nodded "Okay, what 'favour' needs you to reward me like this to even get me to think about helping you?"  
"One that might be hurt your feelings if you get the wrong impression." Reno carefully said. He explained about the task Tseng had given him and the little extra he wanted to give to Cloud and the others, whilst he said it Rude took it in silently.  
Then Reno explained how it had gone when he'd delivered the message and Rude snorted amusement at new of the fight but otherwise he still stayed quiet.  
Encouraged by this positive reaction, Reno got to the part where he'd asked Tifa to take some time off and spend a night out with him.  
"But the condition was that someone be able to cover her shift… and well, you're the only guy I know who can work a bar and sort people out so… help a buddy out?"  
He'd tried so hard to alter it to sound less like he liked her and more like he was just being professional and doing it because he had to find some way to make it back up to Tseng for messing up… but he knew he failed when Rude frowned and rose from his seat, his jaw set as he glared at his friend from behind his sunglasses.  
Reno knew he'd just royally messed up badly with his friend._  
Oh Fan-friggin'-tastic_ he thought unhappily as his friend stood up and walked out the room, pushing the half full cup of coffee back into Reno's hands as he walked past him without a word.

* * *

**This is that next chapter I was on about a couple days ago. Not sure if I'm completely happy with it but since I've re written it several times now I thought I'd just submit this one since it's the best I can do right now and see how it was recieved by the readers.  
I'd like to hear any opinions about this one; yes I know I'm involving more characters than just the trio I mentioned in the summary but I refuse to cut out the important factors of the kids and Rude because they're too important as close ties for the main characters and I think it improves the story to have them involved.  
When I get some feedback I'll work on either re writing this chap to correct anything I agree with that ought to be changed for the sake of keeping things in character, or I'll just continue assuming no one has any major issues with what I've written so far.**


	3. Asking Nicely, Answering Sharply

**I do not own FF7.  
**

* * *

"Whoa! Hold up, Rude!"  
The red head followed the big man out of the office and further out of the building. Elena glanced up at the two men with worry and she got up, opening her mouth to ask what was going on. Reno saw her and shook his head, pointing for her sit back down.  
She frowned and reluctantly did as she was advised.  
"Come on yo, don't be like that!" Reno complained irritably at his friend.  
Rude turned his head fractionally to glare at his partner coldly and he pushed open the entrance to Healin' and walked out into the air.  
Reno bit back a number of curses and went after him, of all the stupid, petty, annoying...  
"Rude!" he called out angrily, not bothering to keep his voice down and not caring what it brought on. Enough was enough; he'd done nothing wrong and he wasn't going to meekly run after the big guy acting like he should be sorry.

The big man paused on the stairway and looked back at the red head. His lips were set in a tight line, but he sighed heavily and jerked his head for Reno to meet him down on the car port.  
Reno agreed to this and went after him in silence, both men now out of sight from any spectators at the windows above, not that there would have been any except maybe a worried Elena.  
Once they were far away enough for them to not be overheard Rude turned and waited for Reno who wasn't far behind him.

Reno sighed and looked up at his long term friend "I'm _sorry_, okay Rude?" he growled irritably – why the hell did Rude have to make this difficult, it wasn't like it was easy to begin with!  
"You don't even know what you're apologising for do you?" Rude demanded accusingly.  
The smaller Turk glared back into the others sunglasses "Hey! I just asked you to help a guy out here and mind her bar whilst I do our Boss a favour!"  
"A favour that involves a date with Tifa!"  
"Hey yo! For your information all I'm going to do is go out to somewhere nice with her and then I'm going to _talk_ to her, like a normal person, and then I'm going to offer to see her home! Now I said nothing about doing anything else with her after that, did I? Whatever you're thinking I'm going to do with her is in _your_ head buddy – but it ain't in mine!"  
Rude gave him a look which was as accusatory as if he'd said it out loud.  
_Oh is that a fact, Reno_?  
Reno's breath caught in his chest and for a moment he could have swung at Rude. The two stood face to face in silence and for a long moment neither even blinked.

Reno couldn't answer that silent accusatory stare because there was nothing to answer for here! He'd developed a little crush on the girl, which was a real rarity for him he admitted, but where was the harm in that! Tifa must have had loads of guys wanting to hop into bed with her!  
What was really pissing him off was that he'd had other things like this happen  
to him in the past and Rude had never made such an issue of it before – I was because it was Tifa and Rude was jealous that Tifa was considering a date with him and not Rude!  
The bald guy had had a crush on her since the days before Meteor fall - but surely he wasn't angry because Reno was getting sweet on his old crush and had gotten further than Rude ever-  
Oh.

An awkward realisation dawned on Reno. He'd never thought to ask Rude if he _still _liked Tifa.  
But… well, from the big guys reaction he sure knew the answer to that _now_ and it should have been obvious to him from the start.  
Reno sighed and looked down "I get it Rude. I should have known… what a thoughtless thing of me to ask of you." he apologised as earnestly as he could.  
"I knew you used to like Tifa man, but I didn't know that you _still _liked her! I wouldn't have asked you if I'd thought about that."

Rude looked at him hard, as if trying to figure out if Reno was only trying to appease him or being sincere.  
The red head looked back at him evenly "You trust me don't ya?" he asked his friend defiantly.  
Rude sighed heavily and after a moment longer he nodded.  
"Why haven't you made a move if you feel like this?" Reno asked him.  
He realised that poor Rude must have been hanging onto his crush like a drowning man on driftwood. He felt sorry for the big guy and more than a little awkward now.  
He felt he should talk to Rude before asking him any more favours, but the big guy was silent… as usual.

Reno sighed "Rude, if you like her buddy then why haven't you made a move on her yet?" he repeated, to let the other know that he wasn't dropping this until he had an answer.  
Rude looked down and quietly explained "I thought she was with Cloud."  
Reno snorted, _yeah I know, you and me both Rude…_ he thought.  
"Well she ain't." he said out loud "At least, I _think_ she isn't. So she's technically free." he amended.  
Rude looked at him levelly "And is _Cloud_ why you're you asking her out?" He asked Reno softly.

The implication was evident; Reno and Cloud did not get on - to have any kind of close or personal relationship with Tifa (who obviously had eyes for the blonde ex-SOLDIER) wouldn't have been a far cry from the usual one-up that Reno always attempted to get over people who had managed to beat him in a fight – it had happened before now too.  
If Reno couldn't physically beat a guy, which had happened only a couple of times before Cloud, he usually did something to make the other guy hurt as badly as he did.  
He would usually find some way to hurt them personally to rub the salt in the wound. This would not be the first time Reno had been used a woman for a revenge lay. It sat well with very few people that a man they had managed to fight off physically had then been able to invade their private lives and sleep with a woman they knew or loved, and Reno always made sure he was a _very_ memorable night if he did that just to make it hurt more, and more often than not there was nothing the other party could do about it because Reno was simply too well connected to pick a fight with over a woman.

It was a cruel thing to do, but Reno didn't usually give a damn what the guy felt so long as it got under his skin and made him regret the day he'd ever met the man called 'Reno' and made him angry.

"No Rude, it's not like that!" Reno protested "I don't know why I asked her out, okay? It just sort of slipped out at the time." he took out a cigarette and lit it up, feeling that a smoke would give him the needed break to sort himself out.  
Geez, it really wasn't his day…! First, an unexpected attraction to Tifa and then promising to apologise to Cloud (and wasn't that a galling thought!) and now he was having a spat over asking Tifa out on a date with Rude...!  
He should if stayed in the office.

Rude said nothing for a while whilst Reno smoked and the two stood in silence, neither wanting to talk yet and both unwilling to walk away from the other.  
Finally the bigger man sighed and Reno threw away the butt of his smoked cigarette before both men tried once again.  
"Look Rude-" Reno started.  
"Reno-" Rude said at the same time.

Both men paused and Reno waved for Rude to speak first.  
The bald man ran a hand over his scalp and let out a long breath "Reno, I've known you for years and I've liked Tifa for a long time too… I'm a little jealous at you for asking her on a date, it's true. But..."  
"But...?" 'hope' was a very strong word to use, but Reno dared to _hope_ that Rude might be about to help him out.  
"But I'm worried what might happen if I let do this. This is going to cause trouble."  
"No Rude, it only _might_ cause trouble. And it only _might_ cause trouble if I do something stupid like sleep with her."  
The big man said nothing for a second and Reno worried he might have chosen his words poorly.  
Then Rude spoke again "I know what you're like Reno, you might not intend to do that but something might happen and then-"  
Reno interrupted "My word to you Rude; I _won't_ do anything stupid if you help me, and if I'm lying then I'll hand in my resignation tomorrow."

Rude swallowed at that promise... Reno was certainly serious if he was promising _that_.  
"Okay." He muttered "Okay, fine, I'll help this once. Just remember this Reno - you can't treat Tifa like the other women you've been with. Not with her friends" he lowered his glasses to fix Reno with the fiercest expression the red head had ever seen on his face "and certainly not with _your _friends. Clear?" the bald Turk warned.

"Yeah, that's cool Rude." Reno replied.  
As Rude walked away the red head watched him in silence. Rude had a point and history had proven Reno wasn't the type to change his spots so he'd have to be careful tonight if things went ahead.  
Cloud and Tifa were some of the people directly responsible for destroying the company Reno and Rude had worked so hard for and he whilst he resented what they had done he had no real problem with any of them _personally_. He'd never really had a personal problem with any of them, he didn't even really hate Strife; his antagonism with Cloud was more professional that personal. He was more annoyed with Cloud for making him look bad during those last few missions before Metorfall than for his part in Shinra's destruction.  
He had a professional problem with Cloud because the man had beaten him before now and Reno was proud of being good at his job.

But that was the other point Rude was getting at too; over the years of being a Turk and working for Shinra Reno had never once had a meaningful relationship with a woman that hadn't been motivated by some kind of need that was driven by a selfish motive, none of them ever lasted long enough to become anything serious because they always ended the same way; him hurting the other party by treating them coldly once he'd gotten what he wanted and then promptly cutting off the relationship when they were getting to a point that required any serious commitment.

It wasn't that Reno wasn't the settling down kind, he'd sometimes wondered what his life would be like if he fathered a kid and settled down like Veld had, but he believed if he did that then his days as a Turk might become numbered just as Tseng's former boss' had and he didn't want that.  
Every time he'd hurt a girl by telling them it was over between them he'd genuinely believed he was doing the other party a kindness in the long term. He was a Turk; he tortured people, spied on them and he'd killed hundreds, _literally_ hundreds of people… and often he'd only gotten with the girl because the job was wearing him down and he'd needed some comfort at the time he'd met them.  
But commitment was a dangerous word to Reno and it could make you a target and likewise if he was committed to someone other than his job then it was also a weakness that someone else could exploit if they discovered it and Reno didn't like to have those weaknesses.

But now here he was in this situation with Tifa, asking her out on a date and letting his head get filled with pink clouds… he'd hurt Rude's feelings, he was jeopardising his job just so the other man would trust him to keep his word…  
but he still really wanted to go on that date!  
This was crazy, he thought… but at least he had reasons not to allow it to get out of hand now, and if he was tempted then he could focus on all of those reasons instead of his attraction to the pretty barmaid.  
Relieved and feeling happy at the prospect of a good night out he headed back to Healin' to find a phone.  
There was no reason this shouldn't be a pleasant night if Tifa was okay for it to go ahead but if he _had_ to he could stop it before it got them all into deep water. No problem.  
He was certain of it.

-

Tifa fretted and found herself pacing behind her bar. It was so weird, Cloud was still out and since Marlene had said that thing about how she felt about going out she'd been torn into two indecisive halves about how to feel at the prospect of a night out with Reno of all people!  
On one hand she felt guilty for not asking herself how Cloud might feel about her going out for a night with a man he didn't trust and didn't like, but on the other she felt that Cloud certainly owed her a little credit if he felt that way; she was a grown woman and it wasn't like Reno was Don Corneo – the Turk seemed to have pretty good control over himself as far as that was concerned.

Perhaps Reno too was changing for the better, but it was certainly too early to tell for her.  
But against all of that was Cloud and all that Cloud had done for her. He was certainly thought of like a knight in shining armour by her, full of good intentions and a good heart. He was a man to put himself out to help those he loved… but it did not make him infallible. Cloud was a very… difficult man.  
She sighed and paced one last time… if Reno called what would she say? What would she say to Cloud…?  
The phone ringing made her jerk in surprise.  
She picked it up and hesitated a moment before she raised it to her ear.  
"Hello?" she asked.

"Hi, yo." A familiar voice drawled back.  
She swallowed and her mouth went dry "Hi…" she managed to say but then her voice caught. What the hell was this? Why was she so nervous all of a sudden?  
Was it because she was guilty over Cloud or…  
No. She would not consider the other option. Not yet.  
"Well I got good news, Rude's volunteered to mind your bar TIfa!" Reno sounded positively cheery on the other end "So I'm free if you are. You up for a treat?"  
Tifa was surprised at that curious phrase "Depends on the treat." she said "What did you have in mind?"  
There was a pause and Reno cleared his throat "Well, since we know each other… I thought maybe we could have dinner together?"

Tifa felt a smile creep up her face at how coy that suggestion was "Did you now?" she said, failing to mask some of her amusement "And where did you have in mind?"  
"I have a nice place in mind. It's quiet, but not _too_ quiet if you get me? We'll have some light music for whilst we talk, there's a selection on non-alcoholic drinks and I hear the food's good."  
Tifa pursed her lips in thought at that – it wasn't what she'd expected from Reno. Not at all. And in truth that did sound pretty good to her…  
"Well… okay." She agreed "But we're back for a reasonable hour and I'm not having anything alcoholic." She stated.  
"Tifa, if that's what makes ya happy doll, then I won't touch a drop either."  
"I didn't say that…!" she protested, feeling a flush rise up her cheeks at how Reno was talking to her – honestly, what had gotten into the Turk?  
"No, no. I insist, it's not good for a guy to drink if he's escorting a lady. So then…lets see… Meet you in two hours?"

She glanced at the clock. Wow, she hadn't realised how late it was getting! Still, it was pretty early for Reno to be meeting her…  
But maybe he was just being considerate; after all, she had requested they return at a reasonable hour.  
"Okay. I'll see you then Reno."  
"Great." With that Reno put down the phone.

As she turned she suddenly felt her heart leap into her throat at the sight of someone in the doorway, but she relaxed as she saw it was Denzel.  
"Who was that Tifa?" the boy asked her.  
"It was Reno" she told her other resident child. Denzel was one of the greatest ties keeping her and Cloud together as a family unit, and their connection with the young boy often caused her to wonder exactly _what_ she and Cloud counted as there days…  
But sometimes she felt more that Denzel was staying here with her because he idolised Cloud and wanted to be a part of his life but could not go with him yet.  
Tifa was Denzel's guardian and she looked after him and loved him dearly... but somehow she felt he belonged more with Cloud than with her. They were good for each other, the boy and the Ex Soldier.  
They seemed to give each other hope.

Tifa was sad and Denzel suddenly surprised her by coming over and giving her a hug. She smiled and ruffled his hair.  
"I'm alright sweetie." She soothed him "I'm just a little confused about something."  
"Is it Cloud?" Denzel asked her worriedly.  
"No Denzel, it's Reno. He's asked me out tonight for a meal and I've agreed since he's being a gentleman about it, but I don't want to hurt Cloud's feelings…"  
The boy seemed confused that such a thing would be so hard to solve for her "Then don't go." He stated "If you're not sure about something then don't rush ahead blindly."  
She smiled affectionately at him "Did Cloud say that or Barret?" she asked.  
The boy smiled shyly "Neither… I did."

She stroked his cheek "You're getting smarter every day!" she remarked "You'll be smarter than anyone in no time if you keep this up." she smiled.  
Denzel gave her a weak chuckle at that "Well… I'm reading a lot more these days." He admitted.  
"Would you and Marlene like a snack before Cloud gets back? A friend's going to mind the bar tonight and Cloud's going to be here, but I don't want to leave you hungry before I head out."  
"No, its okay Tifa. I can fix us something." The boy reassured her.  
"You sure?" she asked hesitantly… wow, it seemed not yesterday that she'd been fixing up meals for these two and now they were getting so confident and independent that it worried her.  
"Yeah, it's fine. Really." Denzel insisted "Go on. I'll tell Cloud what's going on if he gets back."

Tifa went to get some fresh clothes and shower… it was a selfish thing, she admitted to herself, but she almost hoped that Cloud would come back after Rude and Reno got here so she wouldn't have to explain to him why she was going out on a date with the red haired Turk before he had a chance to make her change her mind.  
It was only as she started lathering soap into her hair that it suddenly caught up with her that she was thinking of tonight as a date.  
She was surprised at herself, but then she reminded herself that she was no pushover and the Reno had an odd kind of honour about him. He hadn't caused trouble if he hadn't had to in the past, she hoped that tonight would follow the same pattern.

-

Cloud pulled up outside their home a while later. Switching off Fenrir he wheeled it to the side of the road and locked it up before he headed inside the house.  
"I'm home" he called from the bar area. There was a patter of feet and Marlene and Denzel came running down the stairs to meet him.  
"Cloud!" both of them greeted him warmly, hugging him as they reached him. He smiled and patted their heads affectionately.  
"Hi Marlene. Hi Denzel." He greeted them in his quiet way. He smiled softly at them and ruffled Marlene's hair before he looked around for Tifa.  
Noting her absence he frowned "Where's Tifa?" he asked.

Marlene and Denzel shared a look he didn't understand "She's washing her hair upstairs." Marlene answered.  
Cloud nodded, still not understanding. He turned to Denzel who looked back at him with large earnest eyes "She's getting herself ready to go out." He explained.  
"Where's she going?"  
"Out with someone called Reno." Denzel replied innocently.  
Cloud felt someone squeeze his heart for a second and he was totally still. Reno. There was no doubt who they were talking about; but the question was _why_?  
"Is she done? I'd like to talk to her." he said.

Marlene stopped him and frowned "Daddy says you shouldn't go into the bathroom when someone's washing. It's _rude_."  
"But this is important!" he said.  
There was the sound of a door opening and a soft voice called out "Cloud? Is that you back?"  
The Ex Soldier called back "Yes, it's me."  
"Hold on, I'll be down in a minute." She told him.  
Cloud nodded and went with the kids into the kitchen and fixed them all drinks. He found himself wanted an alcoholic one for the first time in a while… Tifa, with Reno, and going out with him tonight…  
This did not sit well with him.

A minute later Tifa came downstairs, her hair was glossy and smelled faintly of the shampoo she'd been using. She wore the black tank top instead of her white one, but besides that she hadn't altered her attire for Reno any more than she would have anyone else, all she had done was put on some fresh clothes.  
Her sole consideration for the fact she was going out on a date was a change of footwear along with a necklace and a little make up.  
Not a bad thing for Tifa to do, Cloud admitted to himself, but not a good thing for him considering she was going out with Reno.  
"Denzels told me you're going out with Reno tonight. What brought this on?" he asked. He wasn't one for beating around the bush, and neither was he being over protective but he didn't like being in the dark about such things.

"Well… he asked me and I said yes. That's about it." She admitted.  
"When?" Cloud asked.  
"Not long after you left, he came back and we talked and then he asked me before he left if I was free tonight."  
Cloud frowned "Isn't it a weekday?" he hinted as mildly as he could.  
"Well, I did say I would only be free if someone could cover the bar," she confessed.  
"And no one can?" Cloud asked her, privately hoping that this was the case but already knowing this probably wasn't the case.  
"Rude offered to do it."

The blonde gaped "Oh no. No. Tifa, tell me you aren't serious!" he protested.  
"What?" she asked.  
"One Turk is bad enough, two is like asking for trouble to start."  
"Rude can handle himself!" she argued "Besides it's not like I'm going to be gone long! It's just a chat over dinner."  
"I don't want you to do this." Cloud protested.  
Tifa froze and looked at the children who were stood to one side watching the two of them talking.  
The bar waitress licked her lips and smiled at the two kids to let them know things were alright "Denzel, could you and Marlene watch the bar for me?"

It was a code the kids had learned, 'watch the bar' meant that they needed to leave the room but stay close enough that Tifa didn't have to worry about them.  
She always reassured them afterwards that everything was alright even if it wasn't an entirely accurate statement.  
When they left she gave it a moment before she turned her attention to her old friend.  
"Cloud, when I said you and Reno were alike I never thought I was right about it!" she scolded him.  
"What?"  
"You! All he offered was to take me out for some dinner and talk with me! But the first thing you do is assume the worst will happen because it's Reno and take steps to cause an argument!"  
"I'm not arguing-" Cloud protested  
"But you are! And it upsets me! Cloud, all I want is a break from work – you go off to Aeris Church all the time, and yes I know it's a voluntary service and you do it for her memory but you still feel better for it afterwards – but what do I do that makes me feel like that? I don't have anything to get away from work!"

Cloud looked down at his feet and said nothing. What she said was true… but still…  
"I'll do something with you then." He said.  
Tifa looked surprised and paused for a moment "You will?" she asked.  
"Yes. I didn't know you felt like that." He said.  
Her gaze went soft and she smiled a little at his kind offer "Cloud, it's nice of you to say that but don't feel like you have to do something if you don't want to-"  
"No I do." Cloud said quickly "I just… I didn't know."  
Tifa smiled "I see."  
"So do you actually want to go out with Reno tonight or was it some other reason…?" Cloud gently asked her.  
Tifa suddenly felt very angry at Cloud for saying that. It showed on her face and Cloud immediately regretted his poor choice of words; he had genuinely meant that as a simple question. He hadn't meant it to sound like he was being insensitive towards her feelings. It wasn't that he was completely unaware of her regard for him, but he just didn't feel quite the same way for her as she did him and it wouldn't be fair to enter a relationship with her if he couldn't reciprocate the feelings that she had for him.  
But that didn't matter now. He'd said it and put his foot in it by saying that.

"As it happens he's got some surprising character traits when he drops his attitude, Cloud." She said a little icily "Maybe you should think about that whilst I'm out."  
She left then and shut the door.  
Cloud stared after her and closed his eyes with a heavy sigh…  
sometimes, he thought, he regretted that he was not a more emotional man… if he had been then maybe he wouldn't keep getting into these arguments with Tifa all the time.

* * *

**Okay that another chappy up. Please R&R, this story is a bit of a personal challenge; I really do not buy into the character of Cloud so it's against the grain to play fairly with him but I always try to be realistic with any fic I write and that's more important to me than whether I like the character or not.  
Tifa I'm struggling to write for also, but that's because she's the love interest here and I struggle to write about it from her perspective because her relationship is so complicated with Cloud.  
All feedback is really appreciated but especially so if its regarding characterisation - I like to be told where I do well but also where I fail or need to improve; if you want to offer anything else about it then that also helps me a lot.  
Many thanks.**


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